Liberals angry with Nats over turf war

A TURF war between two senior NSW government ministers is threatening to undermine a Liberal-National coalition agreement not to compete in certain electorates.

The Nationals' Katrina Hodgkinson looks set to go head to head against Liberal Pru Goward in the seat of Goulburn at the next state election, due early in 2015.

Ms Hodgkinson, the NSW primary industries minister, confirmed on Wednesday she will nominate for pre-selection for the seat after her electorate of Burrinjuck was abolished in a redistribution.

The Liberal Party earlier this week warned off its junior coalition partner from contesting Goulburn, saying Ms Goward, the family and community services minister, was "entitled" to run as she is a serving minister.

"There is enormous anger welling up in the Liberal Party over this," she told ABC Radio.

"The Liberal Party has been a very good coalition partner, they've wanted often to run in seats like Port Macquarie and Monaro but we have always enabled the National Party to have a clear run at those seats.

"I can't guarantee if this debate and this dissent continues that the Liberal Party won't want to re-examine the whole of the coalition agreement."

The Liberals and Nationals are due to meet next week to discuss that agreement.

Ms Hodgkinson says it is a case of letting the voters decide and obviously she and Ms Goward would preference each other and there was an argument that such a contest maximised the conservative vote.

"The lines have been redrawn so massively that really I don't have much option, I'm still in my forties, I've got a lot more to contribute."

"We are an effective government and I look forward to continuing on in my role as a local MP after the next state election should I be successful in the seat of Goulburn."

Ms Goward and Ms Hodgkinson both enjoyed comfortable wins at the 2011 election, picking up first preference votes of 61.3 per cent and 74.4 per cent respectively.